Describe something you did in your study/work that has made you feel confident: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

When and where it happened
What you did
Why it made you feel confident
And explain how you felt about it

8 unique answers with expert feedback

What specific strategies did you use to practice for your exams?

I focused on solving past exam papers and identifying common question patterns. I also created a study schedule that allowed me to cover all topics systematically, ensuring I understood the concepts rather than just memorizing answers.

How did your confidence change your performance in exams?

With increased confidence, I was able to approach each exam with a positive mindset. I found that I could think more clearly under pressure, which helped me manage my time better and articulate my answers more effectively.

Do you think this approach could help others in their studies?

Absolutely! I believe that practicing with a variety of questions and understanding the underlying concepts can benefit anyone. It not only boosts confidence but also enhances problem-solving skills, which are crucial for academic success.

Band 6-7

00:00

Last week on Wednesday, it happened to be a hectic day. I was in rounds in my ward. While going through one of the patient's file, I found out that one of the reports was seemingly abnormal and nobody was giving attention to it last night. But I happened to check it and went to the patient and asked him how he's feeling. Afterwards, he said he's doing well but he has not passed out since this past Tuesday. I announced the assisting nurse to check the diaper. The diaper is all filled with lots of blood and the patient is unaware of it. I called the consultant and told him about the situation and following his orders. We sent a few more blood tests and they turned out to be positive for lack of facelift in his bladder which is causing blood oozing from one of the folds. After that, we happened to give some injections to control the bleed and resulted in a few pins of blood. Everybody appreciated me for the attention to the detail I happened to give and I felt confident about my skills at work. It really helped me believe in my own concerns and do my job.

Follow up questions

What skills do you think are essential for someone in your field?

In my field, attention to detail, critical thinking, and effective communication are essential. Being able to assess situations quickly and accurately can save lives. Additionally, teamwork and the ability to remain calm under pressure are crucial for providing the best patient care.

How do you handle stressful situations at work?

I try to stay focused and prioritize tasks. Taking deep breaths helps me remain calm. I also rely on my training and experience to guide my decisions. If needed, I consult with colleagues to ensure that I am making the best choices for the patient.

Can you describe a time when you learned from a mistake at work?

Yes, there was a time when I overlooked a patient's symptoms due to being overwhelmed. After realizing my mistake, I took it as a learning opportunity. I now make it a point to double-check patient files and communicate more effectively with my team to prevent similar situations.

IELTS Cue Cards asked last week

Reported by Leap students who gave IELTS

Describe your favourite food at a traditional festival or a special event in your country

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

Pitampura Test Centre, New Delhi

Answer

I like to taste different types of cuisine. Here I would like to talk about my favorite dish at my traditional festival of Onam which is Sadya. Sadya is popular in my city. We are experimenting these cuisines on Onam festival day. Onam is a famous festival in my city. All family members get together in my home and we make a delicious Sadya. There are many ingredients includes that Sadya. Moreover, we make a big feast that day as well as we create a lot of memories together and we wear that day the traditional dress called Sari and men wear the Dhotis. That festival is really important to us because the whole day we are conducting different kinds of games at our homes and all the family members came together. It's a memorable day in my life. This is the festival. We are making the Sambar and Aviyal. These all the kinds of foods are making with the vegetables.

Talk about a toy you liked in your childhood

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 8

Sector 34 Test Centre, Chandigarh

Answer

The toy which I liked in my childhood was a panda doll, which makes me pleasant and makes me more blush. The pandas are the most beautiful creatures of the world, which looks gigantic and has pooshy cheeks and they are like stars in the clouds and they dream in me. Furthermore, these have been given by my father. My father is a very very beautiful artistic person, who makes me think of that. Every day you will face every difficulties and make you suffer and move forward. Pandas are always seen in Japanese countries. It is my lifelong dream to visit a Japanese country and click a photo with the original pandas, which makes sounds better.

Describe a time you were in a place where you didn't know the local language

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 6.5

Whitefield Test Center, Bengaluru

Answer

As India is a very large country full of diversity, so there are many places which have their own language and speak their native language. The place which I visited and I didn't know about their language was Leladakh, which is about 300 km away from my hometown and it is a very good place as it consists of different kind of trees, animals and have many scenic views and I visited over there last year in summers as it was the best time to visit because it has many, it was cold over there and we had summers in our area so it was the best time to visit over there and I went over there with my whole family.

Describe a time when your friend damaged something you owned

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7

Begumpet Test Centre, Hyderabad

Answer

When I was a kid, I had a little pencil box which had these four buttons which gave the pencil box an operative use. When you press the button, the box would open up. When you press the second button, a little part of it would slide out. Basically it was just a little electronical and a fun thing to have and I owned it when I was in 6th. One day after break, I was standing and talking there with one of my friends and another friend of mine was running through the hallway and accidentally she pushed my shoulder and my pencil box hit the ground and it broke into multiple pieces to the point that it was not functional anymore.

Describe a book you recently read

Reported by

Anonymous student Band 7.5

CBD Belapur Test Centre, Navi Mumbai

Answer

It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

My teacher was instrumental in providing guidance and support. She helped me understand the defense process, offered constructive feedback on my presentation, and encouraged me to believe in my abilities, which significantly boosted my confidence.

Show all 8 answers

Cue 1:When and where it happened

Begin by mentioning the specific time and place where this experience took place.
Provide context about your study or work environment to set the scene.

Example

This experience happened last year during my final semester at university. I was in the college auditorium, where we had organized a seminar for our project presentations.

Cue 2:What you did

Describe the task or activity you undertook that contributed to your confidence.
Mention any preparation or effort you put into this task.

Example

I was responsible for presenting our group project on renewable energy solutions. I spent weeks preparing for this presentation, practicing my speech, and creating engaging visuals to support my points.

Cue 3:Why it made you feel confident

Explain the factors that contributed to your confidence during this experience.
Discuss any positive feedback or reactions you received from others.

Example

When I started presenting, I noticed that the audience was engaged and interested. After my presentation, several professors complimented my delivery and the clarity of my ideas, which boosted my confidence significantly.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt about it

Share your emotions before, during, and after the experience.
Reflect on how this experience impacted your self-esteem and future endeavors.

Example

Before the presentation, I felt nervous, but as I spoke, I became more comfortable and excited. Afterward, I felt a great sense of accomplishment and pride in my work, which encouraged me to take on more challenges in the future.

Conclusion

Example

In conclusion, this experience not only enhanced my confidence but also taught me the importance of preparation and believing in myself. It was a pivotal moment in my academic journey that I will always cherish.

Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

Tips to answer this Cue Card

1: Lack of Specific Details

Avoid vague answers that do not provide specific details about the event. This can make your response sound unconvincing and less engaging.

Tip

Include specific details such as the location, date, and exact actions you took to make your story more vivid and relatable.

2: Ignoring Emotional Impact

Failing to explain how the experience made you feel can weaken your response. Emotions help to connect with the listener and make your story memorable.

Tip

Clearly express your feelings during and after the experience, using descriptive language to convey your emotions effectively.

Overly Complex Language

Using complicated vocabulary or sentence structures can confuse the listener. It's important to communicate clearly and understandably.

Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

Band 6-7

Band 6

I would like to talk about an incident that happened at my workplace when I was very new for this project. I was having a very basic knowledge with a tool that introduced to us. I was on a training period and we received a high priority incident from the user mentioning that he is unable to access application in PowerApps. Though we do not support that application and client was unavailable at that time. So I tried to work on that. I gone through a lot of articles and few websites in Google. Then I connected with user and I understood what the issue exactly he was facing. Then I took one or two hours then I solved it. So every day we have a meeting with the client where we update our status. So in that meeting the client appreciated my efforts. Though I am very new to this tool and we don't support that application still I worked on that part. So there I felt really good and it made me feel more confident that I can work on more issues further in future.

Band 5-6

Okay, what I did, something which made me feel confident and confident is that when I was studying, I learned a language Kannada, a new language, it was a new language for me because I studied in Bangalore, so I was not familiar with the language. So when I came into the treatment, but that is for meeting people, meeting patients, when the hospital said it was very struggle for me to understand their language and I was very less, I was, I didn't have much confidence that time, so I learned Kannada within a month or two months and then I started learning, so that made me confident and I started speaking to patients in Kannada, so I was able to understand more about what they are speaking, I understood their language, I understood their problems in detail, so I can convey solutions for them in the same language, so that what made them also to understand what I am speaking to them. This both increase my confidence and make me happy, I feel so proud and happy for this.

Band <5

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